Still no sleep :(

Well, i'm still not sleeping lately. I think I'm going on two months will little to no sleep each night. Not really sure what's going on. Avoiding coffee for the most part, eating right, exercising, drinking herbal tea at night, taking mg before bed, deep breathing etc..... nothing seems to be helping.

Going to the doc in a couple of weeks to get my bp checked again, not sure if it's related. Stress has been reduced lately, that hasn't really affected things. I'm actually starting to have the shakes in my hands when I hold things, that's kind of alarming to me.

My husband suffered from insomnia, and was advised to cut out all caffeine completely. He seems to be really, really sensitive to it, so even a single 8oz cup in the morning will cause him problems that night (even in cases when he wasn't aware he'd drunk it...I've tested him a couple of times out of curiosity over whether it was a psychological thing).

He was also advised to only do cardio in the mornings, and that also helped a bit.

The single biggest fix, though, was a self-hypnosis recording. He rarely suffers any more, because if he realizes he's not getting to sleep easily, he just slips the ear pods in and listens to the track.

Liz.

Zone diet on and off for several years....worked, but too much focus on exact meal composition
Primal since July 2010...skinniest I've ever been and the least stressed about food

Well, i'm still not sleeping lately. I think I'm going on two months will little to no sleep each night. Not really sure what's going on. Avoiding coffee for the most part, eating right, exercising, drinking herbal tea at night, taking mg before bed, deep breathing etc..... nothing seems to be helping.

Going to the doc in a couple of weeks to get my bp checked again, not sure if it's related. Stress has been reduced lately, that hasn't really affected things. I'm actually starting to have the shakes in my hands when I hold things, that's kind of alarming to me.

Something you could try that worked for me when absolutely nothing else helped:

Buy some wraparound amber-tinted sunglasses that block blue light and put them on when the sun goes down (or around 7:00ish if you live closer to the poles). Yes, they make you look goofy, but for me the effect is so powerful it's worth it. The theory is that when blue light (which in the natural world is absent after the sun sets) hits the eye, it prevents serotonin from turning into melatonin as it should in the evening. The darker orange the glasses are, the more powerful effect they have.

Side note: I was also already using a bright blue/green light for half an hour in the morning to fight my depression. This early morning bright blue light might also help keep sleep/wake cycles stable, so you could consider doing both.

Drinking the magnesium supplement Natural Calm an hour before bed also seems to make my sleep deeper and more restful.

What are you doing in the final 1-2 hours before bedtime? If you're having trouble sleeping, it's important that you stay off the computer and TV prior to sleep. You're a student, right? Study for your economics class. zzzzzzzzzzz.....

:/ I feel for you. It did get pretty scary when I wasn't sleeping either - and it lasted for 8 weeks almost on the nose.

Have you tried a starchy carb refeed? That was either what finally got me sleeping....or it just happened to coincide with my body's decision to sleep again. Fwiw, I was able to go low carb again and only had one weird non-sleeping day. Sleep has been totally fine since then.

How much magnesium? Why just before bed? Chances are you need much more - throughout the day.

How many times per day are you eating? When is the last time you're eating before bed?

Let's work on getting some phospholipds in you.
1) Scubasam's alternative minded MD has her taking phosphatidylserine and it's been helpful - for a different issue, but since it's all adrenal related it seems like it could help - and it won't hurt (http://www.iherb.com/Jarrow-Formulas...tgels/273?at=0)

2) bone marrow - can you manage it? if so, try to get a little in maybe every other day.

3) shell fish - especially in preparations that incorporate the shell like lobster or shrimp bisque

Inositol is very calming via a couple of different pathways including adrenal and could reduce cortisol output.

Have you talked to your doc? Some ambien might be in order if you're having trouble falling asleep. It didn't help me but I wasn't having trouble falling asleep....just staying asleep.

This is truly a top tier medical issue and worth seeing a hcp. In this sleep deprived state, it's as dangerous for you to be driving as it would be if you were absolutely wasted. In fact, in terms of driving capabilities, you *are* wasted. eek. Scary stuff.

Originally Posted by afsjesse

Going to the doc in a couple of weeks to get my bp checked again, not sure if it's related. Stress has been reduced lately, that hasn't really affected things. I'm actually starting to have the shakes in my hands when I hold things, that's kind of alarming to me.